The Sprout

Decorated bike at West Oxford Light Festival

The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Issue 173 December 2022

The Sprout

The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Directors: Janet Bartlam, Judi Bolder, John Clements,

Michael Cockman, Ag MacKeith, Robin Palmer

Editor

Ag MacKeith

South View House, Old Botley, OX2 0JR Tel: 724452 Editor@TheSprout.org.uk

Advertising Manager

Michael Cockman

50, St Paul's Crescent OX2 9AG Tel: 07766 317691 Adverts@TheSprout.org.uk

Deliveries

Jan Shirley and Isabelle Hayes

9, Sweetmans Road OX2 9BA 07706 606719 Deliveries@TheSprout.org.uk

Copy Date: Copy by 15th of month preceding publication. Earlier submission is

welcome. Later contributions may have to be held over to the next issue.

Advertisements: If you have print-ready advertisements in the correct format the

last day for booking advertising is the 10th of the month preceding publication; in all

other circumstances more advance notice will be needed. For details about exact

sizes, quality requirements, advice on text and help with production, please contact

the Advertising Manager.

Advertising rates:

½ page: 1 issue £56; 3 issues £135; 5 issues £196; 10 issues; £336

¼ page: 1 issue £28; 3 issues £67.50; 5 issues £98; 10 issues; £168

1/8 page: 1 issue £14; 3 issues £33.75; 5 issues £49; 10 issues; £84

Subscriptions: If you live outside North Hinksey Parish you can still receive The

Sprout on a regular basis. Just take out a postal subscription – only £12 per annum,

delivered to your door. Contact: Janet Bartlam: 01865 453111.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information printed in this

newsletter, mistakes may happen. The Editor and Team apologize unreservedly for

any errors that may occur and will do their best to correct them. This publication is not

a vehicle of the parish council, and parish councillors working with the Sprout do so in

a personal capacity. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the individual

contributors.

All concerned in the production and delivery of The Sprout are unpaid volunteers.

The Sprout is printed by The Holywell Press, and published by

North Hinksey Parish Publications Ltd, (a company limited by

guarantee) Registration No. 05609535.

The Sprout

Issue 173, December 2022

Contents

3 All in One Room

5 Christmas Hampers

6 Skatepark

7 We Will Remember Them

11 Calling the Money Family

13 Botley School

17 B & K Medical Centre

19 Public Art Open Day!

21 Home Energy Assessments

23 Home Energy Advice

25 Making Mosaics

27 Haikus

29 Progress at the Precinct

33 Botley Youth Club is Back

35 Vale News

36 Kennington Memory Club

37 Randoms

39 Local Organizations

From the Editor

The Season of Good Will is making itself felt in Botley. The parish council

have invited everyone they can think of who volunteers locally to a party

on 17th December (p3). It’s the first time there’s been something like this

since the Best of Botley, five years ago. Could this be the start of

something big? How about going the whole hog next year, and having a

Volunteers Fancy-dress Ball? Botley Bridges, too, is looking for help with

their annual Christmas Hampers (p5) for local families feeling the pinch.

Everyone must be feeling the rising costs of energy, but there’s help at

hand from Sustainable Botley (pp21-3). Good news for our young people

too: Botley Youth Club is starting up again (p33), and the long-awaited

Botley Bowl Skatepark has reached the end of the design phase (p6) and

been accepted by the parish council. Now to raise the money!

Kennington Memory Club continues to offer help to people with dementia

and their carers (p36), and we have reprised Kevin Smith’s thought-

provoking address from the Remembrance Sunday service last month

(p7). Does anyone know the Money family (see p11)? Please get in touch

if you do. On the cultural front, there are haikus on page 27, a master-

mosaicist on page 25, and a Public Art Open Day on page 19. All this and

more in the December Sprout. We wish all our readers Happy Christmas.

The next issue will be in February 2023.

Ag MacKeith

All in One Room

The Parish Council is getting into the

Christmas Spirit by setting up what

could be a huge party for the

hundreds of volunteers who all do

something to make this a happy

community. On Saturday 17th

December there will be mulled wine

and mince pies (and cups of tea, no

doubt) in the Seacourt Hall at 4.30pm.

Why are they doing this? Here’s how

Cllr Laura Jones sees it: “The main

aim for this reunion is to have

volunteers from our community all

together in one room, so they can get

to know each other, see other

people’s work, share experiences,

needs and ideas. During these trying times it is good to see that so

many people are giving their time in order for the community to have

some services, places to go, facilities. Might also be a good opportunity

to share some of the frustrations that being a volunteer brings

sometimes. Just putting the list together and seeing the hundreds of

people in our community who spend their free time for the common

good is uplifting in itself. All is not lost, there are many (Many!) in our

local community who want to make Botley a better place.”

So far, 45 different organizations have been approached – the Sprout,

for instance, has about 35 willing helpers, there are around 50 Botley

Responders, 43 PPG members, 19 Friends of Botley School, etc, etc,

and of course many people will be on more than one list. If you know

anyone who ought to be asked, please get in touch with

Lorna.berrett@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk

Letters

Having recently been the beneficiary of outstandingly good neighbour-

liness, I wondered whether The Sprout in the past (or even present, and

I haven't noticed) has done anything specific to encourage the good

dimension. I'm thinking of maybe a monthly certificate based on Sprout

readers nominating people, or even a small annual trophy of some sort.

Alison le Cornu Why don’t you get in touch with Lorna, Alison, and

ask for an invite for your neighbour? We could discuss it at the party. Ed

Christmas Hampers for local families on low income

Botley Bridges Family Support and

local food charities are again working

together to spread some Christmas

cheer to local families in Cumnor,

Botley and West Oxford. Last year we

distributed over 100 hampers,

brimming with a variety of food and

gifts, all donated, packed and

delivered by local volunteers.

With the continuing pressure on family incomes and rising prices, many

families find Christmas a difficult time. We are looking to our local

community to spread some Christmas cheer. Can you donate? Here is

what we need:

 Tea/Coffee/Hot Chocolate/Squash/Soft Drinks (no alcohol please)

 Fresh fruit or veg

 Christmas treats

 Jars of Jam / Marmalade / Honey / Syrups

 Tins of Fruit / Tuna / Baked Beans / Pasta Sauces / Soup

 Bread / Crackers / Oats / Breakfast Cereals / Rice / Pasta

We are also hoping to include some small (stocking filler) gifts in the

hampers. (Please leave these unwrapped so we can best match them

to the recipients.)

 For Adults: Toiletries / warm socks / blankets / hot water bottles

 For Children: Bubbles / craft or construction sets / activity books

 Books (for a variety of ages)

 Cards / card games

 Toiletries

Drop off donations at St Peter and St Pauls Church Hall, on Wednesday

21st December, between 9am and 6pm. If not possible email

secretary@botleybridges.org to arrange an alternative venue and time. If

you could volunteer to take in deliveries, pack hampers or deliver,

please contact me on the email above, or phone me on 07760 166055.

To request a hamper for a household on a low income, use the form on

https://botleyhampers22.web.app/ or download a form from the Botley

Bridges website and e-mail it to secretary@botleybridges.org Or you

can pick up a form from your school or pre-school, and hand it in there.

Thank you! Sarah Cohen, Secretary, Botley Bridges

Skatepark

The final design has been agreed, after several months of impassioned

discussion. We had started with the idea that we needed a bowl, as a

nod to the famous original Botley Bowl, but we also needed a mini-ramp

(seen on the right, like a half pipe, but only about 60cm high) as there

aren’t any low ramps in the local parks. A bit of Street (i.e., flat) with

kerbs plus a flat wide pavement (aka manny-pad) which lowly beginners

could get up to speed on, and some concrete billows, perceived as the

future of skateparks, as we wanted to be ahead of the game. There was

also the budget to take into account – £180,000. It seems like a lot of

money, but it is nowhere near the top end of the market. Here is the

design that was welcomed by the Parish Council on the evening of 24th

November.

What next? Now Canvas need to bring the planning application to the

December council meeting for agreement, so we can put it in to the

Vale. Meanwhile, a fund-raising strategy is being devised. We already

have some good ideas and some offers of help, but if you would like to

be part of the fun, and have any fundraising expertise, or access to

corporations that like to give grants to worthy causes that keep

teenagers out of trouble, please do get in touch via The Sprout.

Ag MacKeith

We Will Remember Them

The annual Remembrance Sunday service run by the Parish Council in

the Commonwealth War Graves in Botley Cemetery took place this year

on 13th November. It is always heart-warming to see how inclusive it is,

with input from all the major faiths, and from old and young alike. It is

always very well attended, too, and the address, which varies every

year, always leaves you with something to think about. This year the

address was given by Kevin Smith, and he chose to direct our attention

to that word: Remembrance.

“We stand here among over 700 war graves, mostly not locals but

people from all over the world. And we know that there are many other

cemeteries like this around the world. Most of the people buried in them

were not special. They won’t appear in any history books. They were

ordinary men like your brother, your son, your father, a neighbour, or

the shop assistant who served you your groceries each week. How can

we remember so many?

I have been researching the 23 men and boys of North Hinksey and

Botley who were killed in the two world wars. I’d like to tell you the story

of one of them: William Ezra White.

William was born on 3rd February 1889 in Oxford, the son of William

and Mary Ann White, and he grew up right here in this cemetery. In

1901 he was living with his parents at the Cemetery Lodge, where his

father was the Cemetery Superintendent for 28 years. He was the

second youngest in a family of three boys and four girls. It must have

been a crowded household. As a young boy perhaps he played football

in the grounds when he thought no-one was looking, or maybe he

climbed some of the trees. I’m sure I would have!

But William grew up. By 1911 he was a grocer’s assistant still living with

his parents at the Cemetery Lodge. He was still a grocer’s assistant

when he married Grace Barson on 25th August 1913, at Saint

Lawrence’s Church, North Hinksey.

William enrolled in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve on 6th

September 1916 (aged 27), when he was described as 5 feet 8¾ inches

high (that’s 1.75m for the younger members of the audience) with brown

hair, blue eyes, and a fresh complexion. After some months’ training, he

joined the crew of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Lady Cory-Wright on 4th

August 1917. The RFA Lady Cory-Wright was a cargo steamship

requisitioned by the Admiralty in August 1914 as a Mine Carrier. On

26th March 1918 she left Plymouth for Malta with a cargo of depth

charges, mines, and other explosives. Later that same day she was

torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UC-17 as she left the

English Channel. All her forty crew were killed.

William is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent; on

the Abingdon War Memorial; and in St. Lawrence's church, North

Hinksey.

Sadly this was not the only loss for the extended family. His wife’s

cousin Private Thomas Frederick Barson died in March 1917 and is

buried in Botley cemetery. And later, in the Second World War,

Thomas’s nephew, Private William John Barson (of North Hinksey

Village), died in November 1942 of dysentery and beriberi in a

Japanese Prisoner of War camp. He is buried in Malaysia.

So we return to my question: how can we remember so many? Perhaps

after today’s service, you might wander among the gravestones, pick

one at random, and search for his name and service number. If you’re

lucky you will find a sentence or two about him. The local library offers

online access to other resources that you can use to find out more

about his family history. You will all know the line we recite every year at

this service: We will remember them. Here is one way that we can.”

Kevin’s address struck a particular chord with me, because the deeds to

my house include some from 1896 when Thomas Barson was living

there in Old Botley with his wife Priscilla and his family. I asked Kevin

what relation Alice or Thomas might have been, and he got back to say:

 Thomas Frederick Barson married Emily Flora Amanda Kitchen of 4 Old

Botley in 1914. [4 Old Botley is the first house from the top of North Hinksey

Lane after RABI headquarters]

 William George Barson was the son of Matthew

and Harriet Barson of Home Lea, Old Botley,

and was born in December 1898.

 In 1939, Benjamin and Nellie, parents of William

James Barson, (died at sea in the Far East in

1943), were at 5 Old Botley (opposite No 4).

Thanks, Kevin, for opening a window on a little

part of local history. It did make me go back

and search out Tom Barson’s grave. Barson

was such a common name in Old Botley. Are

any of his relations still living in the parish? If

you’d like to know more about ‘The War Dead

of North Hinksey’ that’s the title of Kevin’s book, and you can buy it on

Amazon. Ag MacKeith

Calling the Money Family

I am currently researching and writing a book about my late father’s

WW2 war journey. In doing so, I have been in contact with people from

a town called Venray in Holland where a comrade of Dad’s is buried. My

contacts in Venray have got in touch to say that another man from

another RM Commando Unit (45) is also buried in their War Cemetery.

He is Cpl Douglas Anthony William Money PO/X116678. He was 22

years old when killed in action on the 26th March 1945, and his parents

are listed as Albert William and Florence Lily Money from Botley,

Oxford. I have since learned he had a sister named Jocelyn L Money

born 1924, and a brother named Gerald B Money born 1926.

Next year will be the 75th Anniversary of his death and also of the

liberation of Holland from NAZI occupation. The people of Venray want

to make contact with any of Cpl Money’s living family members to

uncover what they can about him, and to invite them over to next year’s

memorial services. In particular they are hoping to find a photograph of

Douglas that they can mount into some form of permanent memorial.

Can The Sprout help track down any remaining members of the Money

family in Botley? Any information gratefully received. Jeff Hewitt

Botley School

What an exciting month it has been at Botley!

The Reception children have been learning about real life superheroes

and have spent time learning about fire-fighters. Their lessons included

a visit from the Red Watch at Rewley Road Station.

“We were so excited to see the fire engine drive onto the playground.

We spent time talking to the fire-fighters and looking at the clothes they

wear. We discuss why they

had to wear certain items

and we tried their jackets on

which was extremely heavy.

We talked about the different

protective clothing and how it

prevents the fire fighters from

getting burnt. We explored

the fire engine and all the

different tools and equipment

they use. We were so lucky

as we got to hold some of the

equipment which was very

heavy and explored how they

worked. We were so excited

to sit in the fire engine and

try on the helmet as well as

watch the flashing lights and

hear the siren. We even had a go using the hose to squirt water across

our playground.” It was such a fantastic afternoon, and the children

thoroughly loved every second.

Firework Night came and went, and a whole week seemed a long time

to wait for the return of the Botley School Firework event. Would people

still want to come and join in the fun, or would Diwali and Firework

Night’s displays have been enough for them? Well, the night was mild

and the rain stayed away – members of The Friends of Botley School

set up food stalls and prepared themselves for the event … and in their

hundreds people flooded through the gates to celebrate a fireworks

event once again. The pyrotechnics, supplied by John, Harry and

Tracey from STORM fireworks were a spectacular success. With each

whizz and bang something new happened, and it was safe to say that

everyone had a fabulous time. In the past people have been keen to

get home at the end of a fireworks event, but this year the crowd stayed

and chatted and ate burgers and hotdogs. Was this a return to pre-

Covid days? It certainly felt like it.

The school are deeply grateful for the wonderful organisation from the

Friends of Botley School (FOBS) – who organised this brilliant event.

What a great way to raise funds to support our children’s learning, and

what a happy way to gather the community together again! [Pity about

the villains who attempted to syphon off the sponsorship money from

Finders Keepers, that was to have paid for the fireworks. Luckily FOBS

were wide awake, and managed to pre-empt their evil plan! Ed] If you

are a member of the community who would like to find a way to help

support our fundraising efforts, which are crucially important at this time

of uncertain school funding and cost of living rises, please do get in

contact with our FOBS team – they would love to hear from you!

FOBS1930@gmail.com

There are lots of ways you can volunteer at Botley School, so if you are

interested please visit the school website Volunteers’ page.

www.botleyschool.org.uk/volunteering-at-botley-school/

Jo Reid, Headteacher

B & K Medical Practice

As we noted previously the Care Quality Commission (CQC) made

another scheduled visit to Botley and Kennington Medical Practice at

the end of September and their report has now been published. We’re

pleased to find that the overall rating has been upgraded and below is

the notice we received from the Practice.

“The Partners would like to share with their Patients that the recent

CQC Inspection has produced a rating of “overall good’ for the Practice.

This is a significant improvement upon the previous Inspection. The

Partners have thanked the Patient Participation Group (PPG) for their

continued support.

The Partners would also like to say that it is their aim to keep working

hard for the benefit of the Patients and the Practice.”

The PPG would like to congratulate the Partners and all the staff at the

Practice on the hard work, which has resulted in this very good rating.

Moving forward, the PPG looks forward to working with the Practice to

build upon this impressive result.

The full CQC report is on the CQC website, please see the link below:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-544081039

We urge people to read the report

in full. We also note that on one

aspect (‘Effective’) improvement

has still to be made. We will of

course be liaising with the Practice

on the best way to deal with this

issue. A full clarification of

‘Effective’ is given in the report

(pages 7-14 in the Evidence Tables

Report).

Dr Mary Akinola's retirement

The practice has announced the

retirement of Dr Mary Akinola on

1st February 2023 as follows: “We

would like to take the opportunity to

thank Dr Akinola for all the years of

service, dedication and support she

has shown towards not only pa-

tients but colleagues. We wish her

the most relaxing and long retire-

ment from the Practice in the years ahead. We are sure that she will be

missed by patients and staff. There will be an opportunity for patients

and colleagues to attend an informal leaving do for her near the date of

her retirement. The exact date will be announced in advance.”

PPG meetings

Our meetings are held bi-monthly and are hybrid – taking place both

online and in-person at either Kennington or Botley Medical Centre. If

you are not already a member and wish to join please contact Chris

Sugden at csugden@ocrpl.org

Jean Mulligan, Vice Chair, PPG

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Public Art Open Day

Saturday 3rd December, 10am to 1pm

Seacourt Hall

Come along to find out more about the public art coming to West Way,

talk to the artists, to see the plans, and even take part in creating art for

our public spaces – for Christmas and for the future. All ages welcome,

especially children and young people. Come along to:

 Find out more about the public art coming to Botley in the next

few months.

 See the mosaic panels for West Way being finished with Clare

Goodall and local volunteers who booked on to Clare’s sessions.

 View the plans and templates for the standing stones that local

sculptor Alex Wenham is creating for the shopping centre.

 Try out large-scale drawing with mural artist Nor, to help design

new murals for the building opposite the hall.

 Create artwork to decorate the Seacourt Hall for the Christmas

period with local artist Ali Hogg.

Everyone is welcome to drop in, take part, chat and meet the artists, or

just come past and have a look.

The event is hosted by North Hinksey Parish Council as part of the

public art engagement for Botley’s West Way Square.

Lorna Berrett, Laura Jones & David Kay, North Hinksey Parish

Council

Botley Home Energy Assessments – an update

Sustainable Botley’s home energy project is now well underway. See

Steve Jones’ article on the next page about Home Energy Advice, and

do contact him if you’d like an adviser to visit.

Meanwhile we’ve so far carried out energy surveys to identify potential

improvements for seven typical Botley houses – 1930s and 1950s

semis in Elms Rise, and Seacourt Road bungalows. It'll take a few

weeks to analyse the results from the surveys but some things are

already clear. Our report on each house will include calculations of its

heat balance as shown here, as well as the savings that could be made

in energy, costs and carbon.

Botley has a lot of small 1930s semis like this one, with solid brick walls.

Most now have double-glazing and some loft insulation. For these

houses, solid wall insulation might save £400 a year in gas at current

prices as well as improving comfort and preventing damp and mould.

Replacing the boiler with a heat pump would save a similar amount

annually. Insulating the suspended timber floor can also save a lot of

energy, partly because it reduces air leakage. If you live in one of these

semis with ‘skeilings’ (a bit of sloping ceiling in the upstairs rooms at the

side and rear), these are a particular cold spot and may develop mould,

in bathrooms. Insulating them would save about £200 a year in gas

but should be done with advice from a specialist.

(See photo.) It would probably involving removing the plaster, adding

insulation between

the rafters and

replastering.

There are some

things you can do at

very low cost. If you

have radiators on

outside walls, install

reflective foil behind

them to stop the heat

going straight through

the wall. If your loft

insulation has been

disturbed, it’s well

worth spending a bit

of time tidying it up, making sure it fits snugly to the loft joists, and

adding a little if necessary. We’re producing a leaflet for every

household in Botley with lots of ideas for action and sources of advice.

So, please do get in touch if you’d like a home energy adviser visit –

contact Steve at swj6601@gmail.com. Also contact Steve if you could

volunteer as an adviser – you’ll get a short training and we ask you to

be prepared to visit about two households a month over the next six

months.

And please contact me at laurie@livingwitness.org.uk if you live in a

new house and would be willing to have it surveyed. If it’s well-built to

current standards, it shouldn’t need insulating but it might well make

sense to install a heat pump.

Laurie Michaelis

Home Energy Advice –

Free home visits on request

At the Botley Energy Advice Day (Nov 26th), Sustainable Botley

offered information and advice to all comers on some simple steps

anyone can take to save energy and cut domestic fuel bills (saves

energy and you save money!).

We have a small group of friendly home energy advisors, who are

ready to visit you at home, listen to your concerns or queries, and

give you specific tips tailored to your exact circumstances. The sorts

of things we cover are:

 Are you getting the support you are entitled to (especially

with bills)? This includes those on various benefits.

 Are you getting the most out of your heating?

 Do you have energy-wise routines?

 Are you keeping your heat in effectively?

We may be able to refer on any problems we can’t deal with to other

sources of help like the Citizens Advice Bureau, Better Homes,

Better Health, or help you deal with your energy supplier – if you

wish.

The Home Energy Advisors will be focussing on ways of saving

energy that are cheap or free, and are most concerned to help those

finding it hard to meet the costs of heating, especially if you’ve not

had any help before.

If you are interested in trying out a visit – this can take as little as half

an hour, but can be for longer if you wish – please get in touch via

this email: swj6601@gmail.com If you want us to phone you back

to arrange a visit, please include a number for us to call. All

discussions, recommendations

and tips, etc, will, of course, be

confidential.

If you read this and know of

someone who might like this

help, but is unable to make email

contact, please let us know.

Steve Jones, Home Energy

Adviser, Sustainable Botley

Making Mosaics

Josie Webber talks to Riki Therivel

So much of our modern life is minute

by minute, and fragmented and

stressed. I love making mosaics

because it is slow. You can’t rush it.

You may need to undo it. It is

absorbing, mesmerising. And you end

up with something permanent and

beautiful.

Mosaicking is the kind of thing that

people can do if they’re not in the best

of health. It doesn’t need much

energy. And you get so involved in it

that you get lost in it. I love that

therapeutic element

For the Osney Lock Hydro Sundial that

I did for Low Carbon West Oxford,

local people voted for the animals and

plants to include. A person stands on the sundial's plinth and their

shadow falls on a large clock to show the time (the site is open Friday

Sat and Sun mornings from 10am). Mosaicking those pieces meant I

had to really study local nature. I looked at reams and reams of photos

in the process. I based the mosaics on photos because the actuality of,

say, a dragonfly is not what people think a dragonfly looks like.

Mosaicking water is wonderful: you can create the lines of flow with the

glass and the grout. Of course, you can never replicate the detail of

nature, and that in itself brings some humility. When you study

something so much you end up in love with it.

To mosaic, you first choose your subject and how you’re going to

describe it. You have to take a lot of detail out and distil the subject, or

else the mosaic will look too busy. You draw it out on the backing,

which can be anything, from paving stones to wooden planks. You

choose your colours and your tiles. It’s also fun to use recycled

materials like old bowls, jewellery, broken windscreens, shells. Then

you cut it, which is messy; you glue it down, which is messy; and put

grout between the materials, which is very messy. There are different

colours of grout. You have to cover the entire mosaic with the grout and

then wipe it off: for a little while, you lose sight of all the hard work you

have put in to the mosaic, and then when you wipe the grout off it looks

completely different, all pulled together.

I got interested in mosaics when I was a student in London. London

itself was grey and ugly, but it has some really good mosaics. I

remember going to the Criterion restaurant in Piccadilly and the ceiling

was covered in mosaics: gorgeous! I have taken some courses with

Becky Paton who is a mosaicking genius. She has made some

amazing portraits in mosaic (beckymosaics.co.uk).

I’ve had mosaic disasters. I’ve dropped an entire mosaic before it was

glued down. I’ve used grout that was

too light, and then tried to scrape it all

off with a screwdriver. My favourite

scenes to mosaic are night scenes

and I love doing the work at night.

Mosaicking in a group is fun and

joyous. But a lot of mosaic work

involves hours and hours of working

alone. That gives you an inner

connection to your work. You can’t

stop. And then everything else in life

feels right.

Josie runs mosaicking courses. To

find out more contact her on josieawebber@yahoo.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Still Not Quite a Cultural Desert

I have composed three haiku to commemorate the annus mirabilis of

modernism - would be great if you could include them in a forthcoming

issue of The Sprout. Happy to, Dan! Keep them coming. Ed

Three Haiku about Modernism

1. Reading Ulysses 2. Is it one hundred

on my phone does not make it years old? That Eliot poem?

any easier. You mean ‘The Waste Land’?

3. She came, she saw, she

conquered. Virginia Woolf had

a room of her own. Dan Ferrett

Building Progress at the Precinct

Current status: It’s been a while since we have given any updates on

the status of the development at West Way shopping centre. Phase one

is complete, and we are awaiting commencement of Phase 2, the

empty, boarded off area on the corner of West Way and Westminster

Way.

We see that two more restaurant units have been taken up and are

being fitted out, and hopefully they will open soon and be successful.

It’s a shame that Pappo’s didn’t manage to make a success of their

venture.

Since development started quite some time ago, and many new people

have come to Botley since then, we have set out the history of this

development in Table 1. Planning permission was first granted in June

2016, but since then we’ve had Brexit, the Covid pandemic, the war in

Ukraine, two general elections, and four Prime Ministers! Obviously, the

economic climate is quite different from what it was when the Botley

Centre plans were first proposed. No doubt this has an impact on how

quickly the units have been taken up.

Table 1: Backstory

2012

Botley Development Company (then known as Doric) bought

the old West Way Shopping Centre from the Vale of White

Horse District Council, together with adjacent office blocks.

2014

Doric’s plans for a ’district centre’ to include a huge super-

market and cinema complex, were refused planning permis-

sion. This development would have required demolition of

the Elms Parade shops, the vicarage of St Peter and St

Paul’s church and the sheltered housing at Field House.

2016

Planning permission was granted for a slightly smaller

scheme involving 262 bed student accommodation, 140

flats, a Premier Inn, and retail and restaurant units.

2021

Phase 1 construction completed

2021

Planning permission was granted by Secretary of State

(overturning District Council’s rejection) to increase the size

of the remaining block from 8 to 9 storeys and the number of

flats in the block from 120 to 150. Phase 2 construction to

commence in late 2022.

Phase 2

At the time of writing, the latest information we have is that work will

start towards the end of November. This will consist of a nine-storey

block, with retail and car parking on the ground floor, and 150 one-, two-

and three-bedroom flats above.

We anticipate that BDC will set up Community Liaison meetings as

previously, at which community representatives, parish councillors and

WWCC will receive updates and have an opportunity to raise issues.

Affordable housing: There will be no affordable housing in the

development. The developer will make a total payment of £2m (index

linked to inflation) to the Vale of White Horse District Council in lieu of

affordable housing.

The first payment of £1million was due by commencement of develop-

ment, and it was received in June 2018. The second payment is due

when the 70th unit is occupied in January 2024.

£194,000 from the payment will be used towards the Oxfordshire

Community Land Trust scheme (Crofts Court, off Eynsham Road in

Dean Court), which is currently building eight affordable flats for local

people.

Public art: The public art for the centre is progressing – managed by

North Hinksey Parish Council. Local adults and school children have

been involved in Clare Goodall’s mosaic workshops throughout

November. Planning permission has been granted for the standing

stones to be carved by local sculptor Alex Wenham. Highways England

inexplicably refused permission for artwork under the A34 bridge, so

Nor Greenhalgh is now looking for alternative sites for her work. For

more information see https://northhinksey-pc.gov.uk/public-art-botleygap

AGM: WWCC would usually have an AGM in November, but given that

there is little to report, we will not be holding one this year. As always,

you can send your questions and comments to us at

westwayconcern@gmail.com, and we will endeavour to find answers.

Contacts: To ask questions or raise concerns about how the centre

works, e.g. parking, pedestrian areas, etc, contact the Facilities

Manager for the centre – Lisa Himpson of Savills, who is regularly on

site and can be emailed at Lisa.Himpson@Savills.com The student

accommodation is operated by the management company CRM, who

can be contacted on westwaysquare@crm-students.com

Mary Gill, Chair

Botley Youth Club is Back

Botley Youth Club

(formally known

as North Hinksey

Youth Club) is

coming back to

the Louie

Memorial

Pavilion.

We held a super-

spooky

Halloween

extravaganza at

the end of

October to see if

the club was

something local

youths would

welcome – and we are very happy to report it is!!!

The local Coop and Tesco rallied round, with resources for the games

as well as some yummy treats for the children – and the adults helping!

Over 30 children came, their ages ranging from 10 to 14 years.

Seasonal fun was had, as you can see from the pictures: apple dunking,

mummy making, doughnut eating, pumpkin carving and ‘guess the goo’.

There was lots of positive feedback, as well as some very exuberant

ideas for what we could do in the future. It was so wonderful to be able

to offer a safe space for the children to enjoy each other’s company,

and to see them making the most of the wonderful outdoor space that is

on offer at the LMP. Head over to our social media page to see pictures

of glow-in-the dark fun and the

candlelit scenes that just look black

in the Sprout. You can keep up to

date with future events on

Instagram at botley_youth_club.

The youth club steering committee

already has a number of volunteers

dedicated to offering a service to

the young people in our community,

but we would absolutely love to

welcome many more people.

If you are interested in

offering support, or know

anyone who is (and are over

16!), please do get in touch

at botleyyouthclub@

gmail.com. If you would

prefer to work behind the

scenes, we could do with

secretarial help, as well as

hands-on support on the

night.

We would like to thank

the local Coop, Tesco,

all those parents who

stayed to join in with

the fun, and especially

the young people for

making the event such

a great success.

Now to plan for the

next one....

The Botley Youth Club Steering Committee

News from the Vale

Cllr Emily Smith and I were

particularly pleased at the

progress made this month at our

Cabinet meeting. Our

administration’s hard work over

the past three years has brought

Vale’s budget under control, to the

extent that we could commit more

help in a few specific ways. These

schemes embody our values and

do more to help the most

vulnerable of our residents.

 Cabinet has recommended that Vale council expand the Council

Tax Reduction Scheme to provide 100% relief for those who qual-

ify, no matter their property band. Previously, it was 91.5% and only

up to Band D.

 Cabinet extended the current Partnership Grants scheme to

Oxfordshire South and Vale Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Wantage

Independent Advice Centre (now known as Vale Community

Impact), and Community First Oxfordshire, who do such good work

in providing support for residents. Recognizing these organizations’

need for longer term funding security, we agreed to continue our

current rate of funding to 2024, and to design and deliver a new

partnership funding to 2025, subject to approval of the budget by

full council.

 Cabinet approved a new Housing Delivery Strategy and Action plan

to deliver on our commitments to housing that people can afford.

Please get in touch with us if you want to know more about the details

of any of these schemes.

In other news, I worked with Harcourt Hill residents to object to the

subdivision plans at Whitwick. Arguing that the neighbourhood

character as described in the Neighbourhood Plan was worth

preserving, we convinced committee members they should refuse a

plan for three homes on a plot where one now exists. All that hard work

on the Neighbourhood Plan is paying off.

The Vale Community Governance and Electoral Issues Committee

agreed to the request to change the parish council name. From next

year your local council will be called Botley and North Hinksey Parish

Council. Cllr Debby Hallett

It’s hard to believe that it’s come round to the Christmas season

already, as time seems to have just flown by so quickly this year.

Carols, cards, Father Christmas, presents, turkey, Brussels sprouts and

mince pies all come into focus as we build up to the Christmas season.

Memories of these aspects of Christmas are often not lost by those who

have difficulty in remembering other details of their lives. Music and

singing are very important to people with dementia and Christmas

carols are recalled and enjoyed with gusto. Those who have caring

responsibilities for such family members love to see them getting into

the Christmas spirit, but they also greatly value the time and breathing

space they get when they can leave their loved one at the Kennington

Memory Club Day Centre. The carers can relax in the knowledge that

they are safe and happy for the day, thankful that they themselves can

attend appointments, have a coffee or lunch with a friend, or get the

Christmas shopping completed. We are very pleased that we can give

them the gift of this time off-duty, to spend as they wish.

We at Kennington Memory Club wish everyone a happy and peaceful

Christmas, and a New Year which is successful in every way.

www.kenningtonmemoryclub.org.uk

Isobel Birse

Day Centre News

News!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATION

P22/V2581/SCO

Land to the west of Red House

Farm, Eynsham Road.

Environmental Impact

Assessment Scoping Opinion for

proposed 49.99 MW solar

scheme.

31 October

Target

Decision Date:

5 Dec

Randoms

Foster carers needed in Oxfordshire

Love – that's what fostering is all about. As Oxfordshire foster carer,

Sue, says: 'these kids don't want money, they don't want things – they

just want love and attention, and they want your time'. Oxfordshire

County Council’s fostering team is looking for people with big hearts to

become foster carers. So, if you’ve got love to give, they’d love to hear

from you! Find out more about fostering – oxfordshire.gov.uk/fostering

Naomi Cooper

Botley Seniors Lunch Club

Our local Lunch Club for older members of the community meets on

alternate Thursdays in the Seacourt Hall. Run entirely by volunteers,

Lunch Club would love to hear from you if can spare a few hours to lend

a hand, even if it is to simply help with vegetable preparation or the

washing up! We serve a two-course meal at 12.30 promptly and diners

can arrive from about noon onwards to meet and chat with friends. Our

ingredients are bought locally, and our meat comes from Hedges on

Elms Parade. Any profit goes towards meals to celebrate special

occasions such as Christmas.

If you would like to join our cheery team of volunteers either pop in to

the Seacourt Hall around 10.30am or contact Jackie Warner (tel: 01865

721386) or Irene Bartlett (on 01865 243573). Our next date is Thursday

1st December, and our Christmas meal takes place on the 15th. The

dates for January are 19th and 26th.

New diners would also be very welcome. We meet fortnightly on

Thursdays in the Seacourt Hall from noon. Lunch is served at 12.30pm.

The cost is £5 for a two-course, freshly cooked meal, except for our

Christmas meal when we charge £7. Please ring either Jackie or Irene,

on the numbers above, if you would like to join in. Dates for the next six

months are: 9th & 23rd February, 9th & 23rd March, 6th & 20 April, 4th

& 18th May, 1st, 15th & 29th June and 6th & 20th July.

Warm space this winter

To help address energy prices this winter, Seacourt Hall trustees have

agreed to offer free warm space in the hall during vacant timeslots to

any group that bring a planned ‘warm space’ proposal. If you have a

proposal to support local people with warm space, please contact our

hall manager Lottie on admin@seacourthall.org.uk

Free meals for all comers

Botley Community Kitchen (BCK) cooked its first free meal on 18th

November at the Seacourt Bridge Pub. This voluntary project to use up

surplus vegetables is supported by Marstons Pubs (who own Seacourt

Bridge) and the Oxford Food Hub, who contribute surplus vegetables

and spices. The lead volunteer and cook is Dr Saman who also helps

run SOFEA/WOCA Oxford City Larder. The plan is to provide a hot

meal to all comers between 3 and 5pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The ribbon was cut by Layla Moran MP, and our county and district

councillors were there in support, along with many parish councillors

and a small penfull of Llamas, who kept the waiting diners entertained.

There are pictures and more details at Botley Community Kitchen on

Facebook, and you can reach Saman on Cadrsaman@gmail.com or

07887 902412.

Sprout supports girls football

The Sprout is pleased to announce that the Weetabix Wildcats, aka

Botley Girls Football Club, will shortly be wearing their new kit proudly

proclaiming sponsorship by your

favourite local rag. Here is the new logo:

Traffic woes

There are so many different traffic issues in the pipeline we thought we

should try and pin them down here.

First, the much discussed (5,500 comments!) County Council plan to

reduce city traffic, with its Workplace Parking Levy, Zero Emissions

Zone and Traffic Filters (aka bus gates) was all set for a six-month trial,

when it was stymied by a shock announcement from Network Rail. As a

result it has been postponed for at least a year.

Network Rail is closing the Station Railway Bridge from 9th January for

11 months while it builds a western entrance to the station and replaces

the bridge. Bikes and people on foot will still be able to go through for all

bar nine days. The YHA and Mick’s café (as was) will be demolished,

and buses will turn round on either side of the bridge with passengers

connecting on foot. It is to be hoped that Thames Water will seize the

chance to renew the pipe that carries the city water supply under Osney

Bridge and remove the temporary boxed arrangement over the bridge

while the road is closed.

Preliminary work on replacing the railway bridge near Redbridge will not

begin until the other works are finished, further delaying the start of the

Flood Alleviation Scheme. AgM

Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please sendetails

to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.

1st Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Dean Court Community Centre Thur 6–7.30 Jean

Metson, firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com

2nd Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6:15-7:45 Alison

Griffin 2ndbotleybrownies@outlook.com

4th Oxford Scout Group

Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts

mail@thefourth.org.uk Website:

http://www.thefourth.org.uk/

15th Oxford Scout Group

Boys and girls welcome

Fridays, Cubs 6.30-8, Scouts 8-9.30, Pavilion, Fogwell Rd.

Amy Cusden (Cubs) 07887 654386, Tom Freeman (Scouts)

07837 623768 xvoxfordscouts@yahoo.co.uk

Baby & Toddler Group

Tues/Thurs 9.15–11, SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

BikeSafe. B4044 community

path campaign

Wants to connect Botley to Eynsham. Meets every 6-8

weeks. Contact via website B4044path.org

Books on Wheels R.V.S.

Free Library Service for housebound Ox. 248142

Botley Boys & Girls F.C.

Football teams from ages 8-16

Terri Matthews: clubsecretarybbgfc@gmail.com

Botley Community Larder

Thursdays, 3.30 to 5.30 at St P&P Church Hall, West

Way, Facebook or email botleylarder@gmail.com

Botley and Kennington

Patients Participation Group

Second Tuesday in the Month, early evening.

Contact csugden@ocrpl.org

Botley Library

07922 849680. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,

otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).

Botley Seniors Lunch Club

Alternate Thursdays. Seacourt Hall. Jackie Warner

Ox.721386

Botley Youth Club

botleyyouthclub@gmail.com

Cumnor Choral Society

Friday 7.45 to 9.45 pm John May 07795 054142 or

www.cumnorchoralsociety.wordpress.com

Cumnor Chess Club

Thurs 7–9pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett

01993 684494 www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk

Cumnor & District

Historical Society

Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old

School. 01865 724808

Cumnor Gardening Club

http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/

or phone 01865 721026

Harmony InSpires, Ladies'

Acappella Singing Group

Wed 7.30 at Appleton Village Hall. C. Casson 01235

831352 or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk

Hill End Volunteer Team

Contact: David Millin on david.millin@hill-end.org,

call 863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk

Lawn Tennis Club, N Hinksey

Family club Email: Tennis@OxfordSportsLTC.org

07824 881680 www.oxfordsportsltc.org

West Oxford Singing Circle

Weds 2-3pm, WOCC, Emily 07969 522368 or see

www.emilyschoirs.co.uk

Morris Dancing – Cry Havoc

Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk

North Hinksey Preschool

and Childcare clubs

Mon–Fri 7.45am–6.00 pm. Tel 794287 or email

nhps.manager1@gmail.com

N Hinksey Art Group

Weds 10–12.00 W.I. Hall Christina 07931 707997

N Hinksey Bellringers

Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451

N Hinksey Conservation

Volunteers

Meets at weekends Contact Voirrey Carr

07798743121 voirreyc@aol.com

N Hinksey, Friends of

Annual Cricket Match/ Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.

N Hinksey Parish Council

clerk@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk

Oxford Flood Alliance

R Thurston 01865 723663 or 07973 292035

Oxford Flower Arranging

Club

4th Thursday Cumnor. Dympna Walker: Ox 865259

Oxford Harmony

Wednesdays 7.30 – 9.30 pm at Seacourt Hall

Contact pro@oxfordharmony.co.uk

Oxford Otters

Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays,

twice monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420

Oxford Rugby Club

Boys and girls from 5, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com

Seniors, training etc jbrodley@chandlings.org.uk.

Raleigh Park, Friends of

Email: raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk

Seacourt Hall Management

Committee

Contact Lottie White, 07452 960100, or see

https://www.seacourthall.org.uk

Shotokan Karate Club

6+ WOCC twice weekly

Martyn King 07836 646450

Stagecoach Botley

Seacourt Hall, Saturdays 9:00am–3pm Performing

Arts for 4-16 yr-olds Oxf 590510 or 01235 390810

Well-Being Walks, Botley

2nd & 4th Saturdays 9.50 Louie Memorial Field car

park, Arnolds Way. Ashley 07717 714477

West Oxford Bowls Club

Dave Ellerker 07931 603801

wobc.membership@gmail.com

West Oxford Taekwon Do

Club

Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall

01865 570291 www.wotkd.co.uk

West Oxford U3A

(Uni of the 3rd Age) http://westoxfordu3a.org.uk/

West Way Day Centre

Mon & Fri 10–3pm, Field House, 07740 611971.

oxfordshirehub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

Women’s Institute (Botley)

Alison Jenner 07598 251161

alisonjenner@yahoo.com

Weight Watchers

Thursdays 6pm at SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

Banso tel: 07779 253899 bansob@aol.com

Botley Baptist Church,

I Church Way

Contact: Building Manager 07742

662668 botleybaptist@gmail.com

The Rosary Room

Yarnells Hill, Elms Rise

Contact: Maria Brown,

Tel: 01865 247986.

SS Peter & Paul Church

Hall, West Way, Botley

Contact: 01865 242057 or

osneybenefice@outlook.com.

Women's Institute Hall,

North Hinksey Lane

Contact: Val Warner

Tel. 01865 245273

Seacourt Hall,

3 Church Way

Contact: Lottie White on 07452 960100,

or email admin@seacourthall.org.uk

Pavi l i o n, Arno l d ’s Wa y,

Elms Rise, Botley

Contact: Darren Blase 241254

louiememorialpavilion@gmail.com

Oxford Rugby Club,

North Hinksey Village

Contact:. Mary Bagnall

mary.bagnall1@btinternet.com.

North Hinksey & Botley Churches

Times of Services (once resumed) and Contacts

St. Lawrence, Church of England, North Hinksey Lane

1st, 2nd, 4

, 5

Sunday 11.30am Holy Communion

3rd Sunday 11.30am Matins

St. Peter and St. Paul, Church of England, West Way

Sundays 9.30am Holy Communion

Wednesdays 10.30am Holy Communion in Chapel of Holy Spirit

1st Saturday each month, 4–5.30pm Messy Church for children and carers

Rev Clare Sykes, Tel. 01865 242345 or revc l a re @ b t i n t e r n e t . c o m

See table above for Church Hall enquiries.

Our Lady of the Rosary, Roman Catholic, Yarnells Hill

Saturday 6.30pm Mass

Sunday 9.15am Mass

Fr Daniel Lloyd 07584 323915 dlloyd@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk.

Botley Baptist Church, 1 Church Way

Sunday Service 11 am.

Wednesday Zoom Bible Study 7.30pm

Choir practice Thursday 2pm

Diane Melchert 07742 662668 www.botleybaptistchurch.org

Calvary Chapel

Sunday services on 1st Floor, 1 Church Way at 9.30am with

crèche, children’s Sunday school and youth group

Pastor Steve Vickery 01865 586332

contact@ccox.church website: www.ccoxford.church

What’s On

December

Sat 3rd 10-1pm, Seacourt Hall, Public Art Open Day

Sat 3rd 7.30pm Ss Peter & Paul Church, Cumnor Choral

Christmas Concert

Tues 6th W.I. Hall, North Hinksey Lane, W.I. Christmas Party

Thur 15th 12 for 12.30, Seacourt Hall, Botley Seniors Lunch

Club

Thur 15th 7.30, Seacourt Hall, North Hinksey Parish Council

Sat 17th 4.30, Seacourt Hall, All in One Room, party for all

volunteers

Tues 20th and Wed 21st, Family Forest days at Hill End

Wed 21st All day, 9 till 6, Ss Peter & PauL Church Hall, Drop

Off Christmas Hamper Goodies

No U3A talks in December

January

Mon 9th 2.30pm, Dean Court Community Centre, U3A talk:

Lizzie Rowe ‘Treasures from the Royal Collection’

Sat 18th 10-2pm, The Fishes, District Councillor Surgery

Mon 23rd 2.30pm, Dean Court Community Centre, U3A talk:

Thomas Barnardo ‘The Doctor’

Every Thursday, 3-5pm in Ss Peter & Paul Church Hall:

Botley Community Larder

No Senior Lunch Club in January